Accident-prone yacht seeks help twice in less than 24 hours

It was double trouble for the yacht Caprice which had to seek the army's rescue services twice in less than 24 hours.

The first time was when a rope got entangled in the yacht's propellor on Saturday and the second when it ran aground near Ta' Fra Ben point, off Qawra, yesterday.

The yachtsman was taken to St Luke's Hospital suffering from shock. A dog was also lifted to safety during the operation, a mission that was written in the army's history book: It was the first time for AFM rescuers to winch-rescue a dog to safety in such an incident. Patrol boats were dispatched to assist the Caprice just before 3 p.m. on Saturday. At the time the yacht which was sailing about two nautical miles off the northern coast of Gozo it reported that a rope got caught in the yacht's propellor.

A 4th Regiment Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) diver was taken to the scene from the unit's base in Manoel Island to free the stranded vessel. The army said that at about 5.30 yesterday morning, it was informed that the same yacht had run aground near the Fra Ben point.

A helicopter was dispatched and the crew winched the yachtsman and his dog on board.